The Official Star Wars website has off-and-on held a fan film contest. This year, you can watch and vote among the nominees for their Audience Award. Two of the bunch have Boba Fett, which we endorse for winning.

BOUNTY BUDDIES
By JORDAN & CODY GUSTAFSON
Jabba assigns Boba Fett to his hardest mission yet… teaching Greedo how to be a good bounty hunter. Can Greedo finally capture Solo?

TRASH DAY
By JIM MEHSLING
How did Boba Fett know that the Millennium Falcon would be hiding out on the back of an Imperial Star Destroyer? Find out here…

Here are some of the photos we enjoyed — via our Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter accounts — that were shared on social media. runDisney, who puts on events like this, suggested some coordinated hashtags (#starwars5k, #starwars10k, #starwarshalf, and #rebelchallenge) which many people used.

Another big upcoming piece is the Boba Fett Premium Format (PF) figure from Sideshow Collectibles. Any by big I’m talking both size and price tag. This ¼ scale figure and base come in measuring 25.5″ tall and will leave a $439.99 hole in your wallet. Scheduled for a December ’15 release a pre-order has a non-refundable deposit of $44.00.

Sideshow, having already released a ROTJ Premium Format Boba, went ESB this time. With only the Sideshow publicity shots to go by it does look like they’ve made some improvements since their last PF Boba. In fact Sideshow has had some trouble with their Fett’s in general, but that’s a separate blog post. By my eye, the paint scheme and weathering on both the armor and flightsuit look more accurate than the previous. (But I’ll leave it to the folks at The Dented Helmet to offer their assessment.)

If nothing else it looks more real, the previous one still looks plastic. Like the previous PF figure the only articulation available here seems to be the neck/head and range finder. The base is reminiscent of Cloud City, and is angled to help create more of an action pose than the previous.

And it’s a great pose! In fact it looks to be inspired by a piece of artwork that I’ve seen floating around for a while. Most non-articulated statues of Boba have him just standing around, and the Attakus one just looks awkward to me.

The biggest downside to this piece is timing as it is scheduled to come out in the wake of the Hot Toys ¼ scale Fett at a slightly higher price of $469.99.

Pros:

Great pose!

¼ scale

ESB Paint Scheme

If they can stay on schedule you can put it on your Christmas list

Cons:

Price

Sideshow’s history with Fett

Bad Product timing

Minimal articulation

My take:

Sideshow is counting their lucky stars and thanking their Non Refundable Deposit policy that they got this out before Hot Toys dropped theirs. However it’s an ESB Fett, and I really want Sideshow to put out another winner (LOVED the Mythos Fett) so I’m sticking with it. Besides I already put down the deposit. Given the price tag and the direct competition from Hot Toys this might stay in stock a bit longer than previously anticipated. I would guess at least until after Christmas ’15 so you can throw some Santa money at it if you already shelled out for the Hot Toys.

I try to take “being” Boba Fett to the next Level. I feel those who fell in love with Star Wars through the original trilogy as I did, would agree the mysteriousness of Boba was one of his strongest qualities. Just who is this expressionless Bounty Hunter? Taking off the helmet and revealing myself completely ruins this. If you look at my Instagram feed you’ll see… never a shot of who I am.

I’ll go all day with my helmet on at a convention. This past NYCC I arrived at 7am for the East Coast Cosplay Championship and was there until almost midnight when winners were announced — took first place in TV & Movies category btw! — and I only took my helmet off for like 20 minutes in a discrete location to eat a hot dog, macaroni and cheese and some soda. Haha.

I have to thank big time my wife — she cosplays a female mandalorian by the name “La Fett” — and my buddy Geo who accompanies me and helps support me on these troops! I think a fellow TDH member said it best… people always ask questions like.. “Don’t you get hot? Don’t you have to pee? Aren’t you hungry?” But the truth is once you put the armor on and the helmet is on YOU ARE Boba Fett, and Boba Fett doesn’t need to do those things. He is just Boba Fett.

2. What groups/clubs/sites are you a member? What is your handle for those sites?

I go by “JCFETT” on all the sites I’m at, my first forum I registered at was TDH. It’s the most knowledgeable and helpful Fett fan site there is. I’m on a few other sites as well, like therpf.com, which is a great costuming/props site that encompasses everything and they have some tremendous builders on there.

Currently I’m not “in” any professional costuming group, but I do get some contracts from and troop along with the 501st ECG and the Falco Clan of the Mando Mercs. I have a lot of awesome friends in both and would highly recommend either or both to anyone interested in organized Star Wars trooping. I’ll be joining the ranks soon myself.

My big brother raised me like his apprentice on Star Wars. He grew up in the 70’s, and I’m an 80’s baby so I was early on influenced by his enthusiasm for it and his huge original vintage collection. He basically had everything. So for a boy growing up around speeder bikes, the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing fighters, etc., it would be impossible not to be fascinated and completely immersed in this magical universe.

Many years later, we continued to collect when the figures and movies re-released, played a lot of Pod Racing on N64 etc and one day he turned to me and was like… Bro, we should build life size Stormtroopers. I was like yeah dude of course. That makes complete sense. And so we did.

We ordered some kits off the internet and spent a few long winter months in our basement building some awesome stormies. We trooped around town and for Halloween, just local stuff. For my small town on Long Island, New York, the response was tremendous. Kids to grown ups treated us like superstars and were so excited to see us walking around bothering Traffic Control Officers etc. That was like 2005, and that’s when JC the cosplayer was born.

It’s hard not to enjoy how much people enjoy your cosplay. The huge smiles, people are just so happy. It’s hard to describe. It wasn’t long before I decided to tackle my favorite character in the universe, Boba Fett, I registered on TDH, received a warm welcoming — some which came along with warnings haha — but I knew the road wouldn’t be easy and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

After a few years and lots of help from amazing talents such as Christian from Man of War Studios and Lou Darth Vorhees of Fettwerks, JC Fett was created. My cosplay Fett was initially finished by 2008, though even today I’m upgrading and adding cool new features, but it wasn’t until New York Comic Con 2012 that I made my con debut. It was one of the most amazing experiences and continues to be. I love the NYCC atmosphere, it’s a great convention I recommend anyone interested in comics, toys or cosplay to come check it out. I met some really awesome people from there who are now really close friends of mine, and not just from the Star Wars universe, from Marvel cosplayers to Comic and Toy collectors and vendors themselves. It’s a real positive thing, and it’s definitely a passion of mine. To go out and be Boba Fett and bring excitement to people. It’s an honor really.

4. What’s your favorite part of the costume or what has been one of your most memorable experiences as this character?

My favorite part of my costume is my helmet. I just love all the details and colors. And I’ve spent a lot of time making the inside as much of a home for my head a possible haha. I have integrated fans and self contained voice amp and speakers inside, as well as the wireless remote activated range finder which always gets people excited!

My favorite memory is always changing. I just like when kids come up to me as if I couldn’t possibly be real, but I am. And you can see it in their face, they’ve just teleported to another galaxy. This includes grownups sometimes too, ha!

5. What were some of your challenges to get your costume just right?

I think my day to day challenges with the costume itself is the gauntlets. They tend to hurt at the wrist after a while, especially when you’re carrying a heavy EE-3 with real brass grip, metal and wood stock etc. So that’s tough. I lose feeling in my thumbs sometimes. The jetpack also tends to be heavy due to all the components and things I have in it. Other than that I can’t really complain.

From my time as a Stormtrooper I can say Fett is much more manageable, but there are a lot of pieces to him that can go wrong so if you just do a lot of test fitting and test trooping you should be ok. I’ve had my mishaps of shin tools flying out or my gauntlet hose just dropping off my gauntlet before I learned better ways to fasten them.

6. What advice do you have for other cosplayers?

HAVE FUN! Do it because it’s something you enjoy! Don’t let other people get you down or hold you back. Cosplay is for everyone and everything. Unleash your creativity and let nothing stop you! Your imagination is limitless.

Available January 1st from LEGO.com is the Lego Ultimate Collectors Series Slave I, kit #75060. At 1,996 pieces it’s the biggest Slave I to date and certainly looks to maintain the quality of appearance standards of the UCS line. It’s also Lego’s latest attempt at a Star Wars kit that is to scale (or close to scale) to their minifigs. Speaking of minifigs, this kit includes a new Boba Fett ESB paint/print scheme (for the variant hunters), Han Solo both in and out of carbonite, as well as a Stormtrooper and Bespin Guard. Priced at $199.99 this kit may be a bit pricey for the casual collectors, but unlike some other UCS models this one looks like it rates high on the playability scale.

Pros:

Who doesn’t love Legos?

Larger kit size create a more streamlined and less blocky look more closely matching the look of the original ILM model

Cons:

Stickers. This kit has a lot of stickers.

Boba is still sporting a Jango Fett Geonosis model jet pack.

My take:

I’m getting at least one. The Lego UCS line appreciates in value dramatically after a run ends so for those of us that sometimes sell off collection pieces to fund new ones these are a good investment. Plus it’s Slave-1, so come on! I’m looking forward to building it and displaying it “in pursuit” of my 10179 Millennium Falcon.

Marvel Comics, who takes the helm back from Dark Horse Comics to publish Star Wars comics books, has an unconventional strategy with unveiling their first issue in January 2015. They’ve enabled various comic book shops and artists to sell their own variant covers. Here is our curated list of ones that feature Boba Fett on the cover, with links to high-quality, unwatermarked scans and — where applicable — how to purchase.

Hot Toys has announced their first ¼ scale Star Wars figure will be none other than Boba Fett. Hot Toys is one of the few companies where most collectors I know actually feel they’re getting their money’s worth despite the high price tags of their pieces. Scheduled for a 3rd or 4th quarter 2015 release this Fett is done in his ROTJ scheme with a Jabba’s Skiff themed base. It includes 30 points of articulation and 7 alternate hand molds. All shin tools appear to be removable. He also comes with both a full version of the Blastech EE-3, as well as a battle damaged version as seen after Luke chops off the barrel with his lightsaber. Select markets may also get a bonus blaster pistol with holster. Price tag is $469.00 through Sideshow Collectibles, which includes the exclusive blaster pistol and holster.

Pros:

Hot Toys brand product

Quarter scale

Tons of articulation to pose

Battle damage options

Additional blaster pistol/holster in select markets

Cons:

$469.00 price tag

Bad product scheduling

My take:

It looks like I’m going to have to suck this one up. Personally I prefer the ESB paint scheme on my Fetts, but I’m going to take a chance because it’s Hot Toys. The timing sucks for my wallet as Sideshow’s new ¼ scale ESB Fett is also scheduled for 4th quarter 2015 release. Looking at the prototype photos the detailing on the armor and flightsuit looks like it will blow away the older Sideshow ¼ ROTJ Fett, which if I recall correctly sold for $300.00. The new Sideshow premium format is $439.99. The fact that the battle damaged blaster is included leads to me to hope that a companion Luke and possibly a larger skiff display may be coming later. Nothing confirmed there though.

As an 8 year kid, when Fett was first shown standing on the bridge of Executor, I thought to myself “who the hell is that guy?! I want to know know about him!” The look of his armor, his stance, the fact Vader spoke directly to him, spoke to a person that earned the respect of the Sith Lord. He looked liked he worked for a living and did what needed to be done. Then, as I grew older and they began writing comic and novels featuring Fett, it just fed to my fascination with the character.

As for why I choose to build this costume. I chose it out of ignorance. I assumed, having never attempted to build anything, that it had to be easier than building a Stormtrooper … right? It was mostly cloth with a few armor plates, helmet and jetpack. Famous last words.

4. What’s your favorite part of the costume or what has been one of your most memorable experiences as this character?

It’s hard to say. Watching the joy on kids faces when they see their “hero” in real life, whether it’s at a con or on the floor of their hospital. Personally, my favorite would have to be meeting my wife — who kits up as Boushh and is a member of the Legion as well — or the incredibly tight person relationships I have formed since joining the groups with Fett.

For me, I found nothing about this costume NOT challenging. This was going to be my first ever costume. I had never used a dremel, an airbrush, or any of the other skills needed to do something like this. I spent 18 months researching every possible part, every possible type of paint, every scratch and every detail of a ROTJ Fett before I ever began my actual build. I knew from the outset that I wanted to join the 501st as Fett because of the charity that they perform. Because of that, I knew it had to be “perfect” or as close as I could possibly make it.
I found that to get Fett right, the biggest challenges was finding all the right part. I am sure other Mandos and Fetts can attest to the fact that, even assembled, there are a ton of parts to these kits. And for Fett these parts are 35 years old and tracking them down is a task.

6. What advice do you have for other cosplayers?

The biggest advice I would give to other cosplayers is research. I can not stress the value of it. I can be boring, seem like a job at times, but in the end it makes the biggest difference in the outcome of any build, no matter the costume itself.

Picking a favorite moment is Star Wars is a hard question. Star Wars has been a constant in my life since I was 5 years old when the movies were originally released. It has been a source of constant joy and a refuge from sorrow — a safety blanket if you will. Its existence creates an environment that bring people from different places and backgrounds together. It binds all things, just like the very Force at the core of its story.